Nice tourney Melissa

W

Wally in Cincy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Melissa,

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed sweating your matches in Peoria. I think once you got thru Helena you knew you were on a roll.

This is a copy of my post at the CCB:

" I missed Melissa Herndon's first 2 wins over Lisa Marr and Gina Kim-Lipsky. She lost her third match to Corr.

When we arrived Saturday Melissa was playing Thornfelt. Melissa went on to defeat Thornfelt 9-6. I got the impression that Helena did not like losing :). A couple of times she was bordering on equipment abuse. With Melissa on the hill Helena was faced with this kick.

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html

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She miscued sending the ball to A and raked the cue ball downtable before it stopped rolling, all the while blaming the carpet on the floor for her misfortune. Melissa stayed cool as a cucumber and put her out of her misery.

Melissa went on to beat Hsin Huang. IIRC she was on the hill when she nailed this bank, leaving the cueball at A, and went on to run out.

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Then she beat Melissa Little in a hill-hill thriller. Toward the end of that match Herndon missed a couple of tough shots. I believe that was the first shots she had missed in about 30+ games. Next up was Julie Kelly who was soundly defeated 9-6. Unfortunately next up was Monica Webb who played absolutely flawlessly and Mellisa's great run was over.

IIRC this is one of the shots Melissa missed in her match against Little. She had to draw back for the 7.

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She got the leave but unfortunately jawed the 6. Later on that evening, being the idiot that I am, I tried to give her advice on her draw shot (My pool knowledge increases in direct proportion to the cocktails I consume). Melissa convinced me, in no uncertain terms. that she does indeed know how to draw the cue ball :). Hopefully she has forgiven me, or better yet completely forgotten, in which case I probly should not even bring it up :)

Melissa Herndon is one fine pool player and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She's cute too :)"

It was great to meet you
 
Wally,

WOW! What a detailed post! I absolutely loved meeting you and your fiancee and having you guys there to sweat my matches!

BTW, I want everyone to know that I had no problem with Wally trying to give me advice about pool. He was quite correct that I missed several shots while trying to draw the ball. BUT...I did have to make sure that he knew why that was happening to me. I have no problem drawing the ball normally. But on new cloth, sometimes I overpower my draw shots and get out of position because I draw it too far. So, I start to shorten my follow through (sometimes unconsciously) and a little hitch in my stroke comes out...causing me to miss balls. It is an unfortunate side effect of practicing on worn-in cloth and then playing on brand-new cloth! I haven't forgotten Wally, but there is nothing to forgive! One of the great things about this game is that you can learn from just about anyone...no matter what your skill level is. So, keep the advice and suggestions coming!

Melissa

PS. Thanks for the "cute" comment...I am blushing!
 
Melissa Herndon said:
.....WOW! What a detailed post!....
Click to expand...


Remember this shot? I think it was against Helena but I'm not sure. You got a funny angle on the 5. You threaded the needle to get perfect shape on the 7. I may not have the layout exactly right but it's close.

http://endeavor.med.nyu.edu/~wei/pool/pooltable2.html

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Melissa Herndon said:
.....BTW, I want everyone to know that I had no problem with Wally trying to give me advice about pool. He was quite correct that I missed several shots while trying to draw the ball......
Click to expand...

I tried that 6-ball shot several times last night and missed it every time :) . I've always had trouble with that shot so you may want to take my advice with a grain of salt :D

BTW, you and Sarah are the greatest :cool:
 
nice to meet you

Hi Melissa!
It was wonderful to meet you. You really impressed me both as a person and as a player. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you play on Saturday. For whatever it's worth, you have a fan and a friend in Champaign, IL.

We were in the bar friday night when everyone was singing... What was the song about pool that Line played? Nine-ball down? Did she write that? and is there a recording somewhere?

Later...
 
Melissa,
What a great tournament. I really enjoyed your Friday and Saturday matches (I was the time keeper in your match with Helena). As a loyal Herndon fan, you took 2 1/2 years off my life with that match - it seemed no one wanted to win it for a while. I don't think Helena impressed too many people with her behavior. Keep up the good play!! Also the forum members would be very interested in your thoughts and pointers on hotel room demolition (that Steve Tipton kept referring to). What is that all about??
 
Longhair (Boyd) - It was great meeting you too! And I am glad to know that I have a friend in Champaign, IL.....even though I am not quite sure where that is...LOL! It's really too bad you didn't get to see the Saturday matches....those are usually pretty exciting since the tourney is getting down to the wire and everyone is hoping to survive until the Sunday TV rounds. I look forward to coming back to Peoria next year (but I could do without the tornado warnings and severe storms)...and we can all get together again! The song is called 9-ball Down, and either Line or Dawn wrote it. I don't know if there is a recording of it anywhere, but I can find out for you!

Williebetmore - Why didn't you introduce yourself as Mr. BetMore after the match? I noticed you sweating my match with Hsin Huang after the Helena match....but I didn't realize who you were! My matches with Helena are always tense because she is such an intense player. Sometimes I like to interact with the crowd a little bit, but I never do that when I play Helena because I have such respect for her as a player and I wouldn't want to disrupt her focus. She did get a little upset in our match on Saturday, and I really couldn't say why. I know she prefers not to be on the shot clock...but I don't think I have ever seen her get that mad before. The last time I played her was in the US Open last year, and I beat her 9-6, but she was very classy about it and took the defeat graciously. I have to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she was just having an off day....

As for "hotel demolition"....well, let's just say that Steve exaggerates a little, and my usual roommate, Stefanie Boch, talks a little too much!..LOL. Basically, he is referring to the hypothetical temper flare-ups that may or may not have happened when I hypothetically lost matches in the past. It is possible that I have thrown my cue case once or twice upon entering my hotel room, or tossed some shoes or a hairbrush around. But, I cannot say for sure..because I have no direct memory of these so-called tantrums...so either Stefanie made them up or I am being framed...LOL. (BTW, I didn't get the Dragon Lady moniker for no reason...my friends used to tell me that I got so mad I would breathe fire..but that was a very long time ago!) Anyhow, those incidents are few and far between, and I keep my temper under control in the arena....because players and spectators shouldn't have to deal with outbursts.

And wow....you are a loyal Herndon fan! I like the sound of that! I knew I had a few fans lurking out there....but now I have a loyal one! Thank you so much for that! It is definitely exciting because sometimes I feel like I gain fans at one event, but then they forget about me at the next event because some other young player steps up and has a great event.

All the best!

Melissa
 
longhair said:
.......We were in the bar friday night when everyone was singing... What was the song about pool that Line played? Nine-ball down? Did she write that? and is there a recording somewhere?

Later...
Click to expand...

About 3 years ago Dawn Hopkins recorded a CD with some tracks by her and some by Line and some by, of all people, Lou Sardo.

I never bought one. Too bad you didn't think to ask her at the tourney. She probly still has some.

This email addy is from the Viking website HOPKINSAD@aol.com I don't know if it works but you can try to contact her if you want the CD.
 
Just wanted to give you props on a great tournament.

I should have known you would go far considering how you were playing during our match.

I enjoyed watching you play even if it was my butt that you were kicking !! LOL

See you in September & again You Go Girl !!!! CONGRATS !!!!!

Lisa
 
Lisa,

Thanks girl! I did play well during our match....but I am sorry it had to be you! You were so professional and super courteous during and after our match.....it is nice to see that behavior from a player because sometimes players can get so tense and upset. BUT, I expected nothing less from a fellow "Ask the Pro" columnist...LOL!

Loved talking to you and getting to know you more away from the arena! You are hilarious and a real sweetie!

Stay in stroke, stay confident, and I'll see you in September!

Melissa
 
nine tourney Melissa

Hi Melissa:

Wayne from Toronto....sorry didn't get to meet you...but did watch your match with Julie Kelly..

This was your fourth match of the day....your back seem to be bothering you...you looked tired....but you hung in there....and when you rifled the 8 ball down the rail and had position on the 9 ball....for the win....your emotions started to come out but you caught yourself....took a breath....steadied yourself...with a nice smooth stroke took you time and put the 9 ball away...a well deserved victory.

I know you lost your next match....am thinking there wasn't much left in the tank....Saturday's are brutal in this format. But, everyone knows that coming in.


An observation....have watched you in a few events...you don't seem to beat yourself. Your opponents have to work for everything they get....you seem to be gaining confidence playing the better players....hope it isn't long before you get a few victories against the top players...

Will be in Windsor....hope we get a chance to chat and I get to watch you play again....


Btw...a desk job....you mean you have a REAL job...(laffing)

bye for now....Wayne T....
 
Congratulations Melissa,

Sorry I was not there to see you in action. Hopefully sometime soon though.

Good Luck!!! Jerry
 
Wally in Cincy said:
About 3 years ago Dawn Hopkins recorded a CD with some tracks by her and some by Line and some by, of all people, Lou Sardo.

I never bought one. Too bad you didn't think to ask her at the tourney. She probly still has some.

This email addy is from the Viking website HOPKINSAD@aol.com I don't know if it works but you can try to contact her if you want the CD.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try that.
 
Hi Wayne,

Too bad you didn't come and introduce yourself in Peoria...but I am glad that you had fun watching and rooting for everyone.

It's good that you got to watch my match with Julie....I played pretty well in that match, especially toward the end. You are observant....because I was definitely tired...and my shoulder was bothering me. At home, I can play for 10 hours and not be tired, but the atmosphere on Saturdays in WPBA events is so intense that I can't help but be exhausted by the 3rd or 4th match. My stamina is something I am working on, and hopefully will improve over the rest of the year. As for my shoulder, I strained the muscle earlier in the day while breaking, and so it felt a little tense and stiff. I tried massaging it out whenever it was Julie's turn at the table, but I didn't want to be too vigorous or obvious about it...which might distract her. And you are definitely correct about the tank being empty going into that final match of the evening. At that point, I hadn't had a chance to eat anything for about 8 hours, and my energy was really waning. Now that we have 3 months off before the next event, I am back to the gym regularly in order to improve stamina and strength.

Regarding your remarks about not beating myself...that is an area that I have had to really work on. There are times that I lose matches not because of anything my opponent did...but because I fell apart and gave it away. I may look calm at those times, but there is total chaos raging inside. In Peoria, I played pretty consistently all weekend and didn't really have bad match. Even against Karen, I felt pretty comfortable...and 2 bad rolls for me gave her a 7-3 lead instead of a 5-5 game. If I could have held steady and kept even with her, I felt like I had a good chance to beat her this tournament. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. And I am totally gaining more confidence against all my opponents. Even if I have to play Karen or Allison....I feel OK about it and will play to the best of my ability.

Looking forward to meeting you eventually and chatting!

Melissa
 
jkjerry said:
Congratulations Melissa,

Sorry I was not there to see you in action. Hopefully sometime soon though.

Good Luck!!! Jerry
Click to expand...


So Jerry,

When are you gonna get to an event? You are missing out on good pool and loads of fun!

Thanks for the support! I hope to meet you at one of these events someday.

Melissa
 
Melissa,

Sorry about not being able to make more events. I am in the Mid-Atlantic region with not too many options in travel at my job. I try to make the events I can get to within a reasonable drive time or if I happen to be on vacation at a place you are playing (has happened twice in the past several years). I do love all of yours, Sarahs, Lisas, and Jennifers updates though.

I try to catch the CAT group when I can and they are a really nice group of folks. In other words, I try to support.

Keep knocking them in and your opponent safe. Jerry (there in spirit)
 
jkjerry said:
Melissa,

Sorry about not being able to make more events. I am in the Mid-Atlantic region with not too many options in travel at my job. I try to make the events I can get to within a reasonable drive time or if I happen to be on vacation at a place you are playing (has happened twice in the past several years). I do love all of yours, Sarahs, Lisas, and Jennifers updates though.

I try to catch the CAT group when I can and they are a really nice group of folks. In other words, I try to support.

Keep knocking them in and your opponent safe. Jerry (there in spirit)
Click to expand...

Jerry - No need to apologize! I completely understand about the work thing....I am just lucky enough work for a company that allows me to take the time I need.

We thank you for the support and do hope that you make to an event soon so we can put a face to a name!

Melissa
 
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